Joined
by Sashocirrione
Summary: What if Ryuk could look surprisingly human when he wanted to? And what if he was so interested in seeing an evenly matched battle between L and Light that he left L clues to keep him from falling behind? LightxRyuk pairing. On hiatus.
1. The Transformation

**Title: **"Joined"

**Author: **Sashocirrione

**Spoilers: **MAJOR Spoilers for everything up to chapter 58 of the manga and episode 25 of the anime, plus some additional spoilers (mostly in the author's notes) for the entire series.

**Warnings: **NO UNDERAGE READERS. Rated M for a reason. Sexual activities, swearing, violence. Also contains discussion about rape, but no actual rape (not implied rape, not offscreen rape, not any other kind of rape).

**Summary: **Ryuk is of the opinion that the game of cat and mouse between L and Light should never end, and he has a few secrets of his own. Ryuk is more closely joined with Light through the death note than Light ever imagined. When Ryuk dropped his death note, he was seeking some humanity. As long as Light owns the death note, Ryuk's body is able to change into a form that looks something like Light for a short time each day. Ryuk is interested in having as much fun with Light as possible, in every sense of the word. He leaves clues for L just to screw with Light and, at night, when Light and Ryuk are alone, Ryuk screws with Light in a completely different way.

**Pairings: **LightxRyuk or actually, it is more like Lightxpartly-human!Ryuk

**Additional Notes: **All canon events previous to the start of this fic have occurred as normal.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Death Note, and I do not make any money from these writings.

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**CHAPTER 1: The Transformation**

Light was walking home from cram school one night when Ryuk suddenly became unusually talkative. Light sighed and tried to say nothing in return. People were swarming around on all sides and this really wasn't the right time at all. Light wondered, once again, if it would be possible to train his shinigami into only displaying the best behavior at all times. Sometimes he wasn't sure whether he should think of Ryuk as more like a pet or more like a person.

Ryuk started out hemming and hawing and not really going anywhere, as if he wanted to say something specific but was having trouble spitting it out, and so was leading up to the subject gradually.

Light whispered, "Shut up, Ryuk. I told you not to talk with me in public. People can hear my voice."

But the monster continued, not really listening, babbling on and on about how there was no way a shinigami could either support or condemn Light's mission to kill criminals, and then Ryuk came right out and said, "Light, I don't hate you, and I feel like the death note couldn't have been picked up by a better guy. But, don't think this means I'll help you. I'm here for the show. I'm not on your side or L's side."

Light snorted in amusement. "I already know that."

"I don't care if what you are doing is right or wrong, but, as your roommate, since we live together, there are a few things I'd like to say just for my own comfort."

Light sighed. The shinigami was having some kind of emotional problem, and he just had to hash it out right here, in public? Why couldn't he wait for privacy?

Ryuk continued, "What I'm about to say isn't for Kira or Kira's mission, I'm only saying it because I'd feel uncomfortable not saying it."

Without breaking his stride, Light whispered, "Spit it out, Ryuk."

"Well, since I'm always with you, I couldn't help but notice this. It's quite annoying. For the past two days, a man has been following you."

Light's steps faltered for a moment as the realization sunk in, but he didn't look behind, not yet.

Ryuk continued, "I know this guy can't see me, but even so, it gives me the feeling he's watching me. It's so creepy."

Light wanted to snicker at the thought of Ryuk finding a human creepy, but held in the laughter as his mind raced through all the possibilities. Had L really zeroed in on him so quickly? No, that wasn't possible. His hacking of police files had been flawless; there should be no traces of it at all, let alone traces that led to his own home. There had to be many suspects, probably at least fifty or so, and all would be investigated in a preliminary way in the initial sweep, and then investigated more thoroughly later on in a second sweep. Light was sure his follower hadn't seen anything suspicious yet, but, the longer the situation endured, the more likely it was that something would be seen.

This guy would probably stop following him within a few days or so, but the second sweep would eventually come, and that would be more devastating. A single random search by true professionals might easily either expose his identity as Kira or trigger the trap in his desk that would destroy his memories and forever thwart his mission. Light knew he needed to discourage anyone from following him, but without revealing it was specifically himself who was dangerous to follow.

Yes, he needed to find out who all the surveillance guys were, and kill them all at the same time. That way, the pool of suspects would not shrink any more than it already had. The situation would be exactly the same as now, except that L would find it difficult to get anyone to observe Kira suspects. In fact, the heads of law enforcement agencies would begin to fear that Kira would target them personally if they let L have agents, and they would shut down such operations. L would be left with very few options, and he might be forced into risky moves.

As Light made his way home, he chanced a few casual glances back during opportune moments and saw the guy following him. The stalker looked Japanese, but that didn't mean anything. Of course they would choose someone like that for this kind of job. The man could be from any country. In fact, since L was investigating the Japanese police and knew there was a leak among them, he would definitely be using something other than the Japanese police. Perhaps CIA? Or FBI? If Light could just get the name of the guy following him, everything could become clearer.

As Light made his way inside, he pondered various schemes to get the stalker's name. Perhaps control the head of the FBI and the head of the CIA to leak information about Kira investigations? Light ignored his mother's greeting and, acting exhausted, went up the stairs, thinking furiously, Ryuk trailing silently behind him on his black wings.

Another important thing was to make sure the Japanese police discovered L had secretly been investigating them. Light settled down into his favorite chair in his room, assuming a thinking posture with his arms behind his head. Yes, that would continue his already-existing plan of creating mistrust that would disrupt L's actions, and the police would begin to try to discover L's true identity, to research him. Then Light could simply get that identity by hacking, and L would be dead.

Ryuk startled him out of his thoughts by saying, "Light, there are two key differences between a shinigami who uses a death note and a human who does. Do you know why shinigami have to use the death note?"

Light was irritated. All this monster wanted to do lately was talk. But, perhaps there would be some useful information in it.

Light said, "How should I know?"

Ryuk smiled in a very eerie way and said, "It's because we use the human's life to feed our own. All humans have a time of death, whether it is from illness or accident or murder. If a man had forty years left on his lifespan and I wrote down his name in my death note, forty years would be added to my own lifespan. Shinigami can't be hurt or die from anything unless they run out of years. You could shoot me with a gun or stab me with a knife, but it wouldn't hurt or bleed and the wounds would seal instantly."

Light found himself leaning forward in interest, his heart beating faster. This was incredibly spooky and... so cool. He was finally learning some real information about shinigami, and maybe he'd be able to use it later in some scheme. Light smiled, feeling he was sharing a special moment with the monster hovering over him. Ryuk had a dark soul and murderous thoughts, just as Light did.

Then Ryuk went into a rambling monologue about the shinigami world, about how shinigami who cared about anything were incredibly rare, about how death from being too lazy to write down names wasn't uncommon, and how gods of death had forgotten their purpose, if they'd ever had any, and only took human lives because they were frightened of their own deaths.

Light listened, his fascination beginning to wane. This information wasn't as interesting, though it did probably explain why Ryuk was interested in humans and the human world. Coming from a background like that, Ryuk was probably emotionally needy. It sounded as if gods of death didn't really understand things like emotions and companionship that well. It might be a way to manipulate Ryuk when the time came, but Light didn't really feel like forging a fake friendship with Ryuk just on that chance.

He needed to keep Ryuk at arm's length, let him know who was in charge of things. A passive Ryuk was better than an emotionally needy one, especially since interacting with Ryuk was one of the biggest risks for Kira's secrets getting out. Light needed to keep Ryuk satisfied with little drabbles of attention. Yes, they could talk and hang out and play video games, but Light had to draw boundaries and keep the rules strict. Ryuk was Light's private little secret, and they could only act like friends when there was no chance of anyone finding out. Yes, Light's relationship with Ryuk belonged in Light's bedroom, and in very few other places, and it was imperative for Ryuk to accept that.

As Ryuk's monologue began winding down, Light said, "Ryuk, don't think that way. You're a shinigami, and your world is very meaningful. Even if the shinigami realm doesn't change, it has a profound effect on the human world. How often does a human pick up a death note? Every hundred years? Every thousand? But, when that happens, it has an incredible effect. Just look at what I'm doing right now. It will change the world forever; it will fix its rot. I'm from a rotting world too, but I'm doing something to change it."

Ryuk looked surprised. "Is it really like that? My world is that important?"

"Of course it is, Ryuk. And, if I can fix my world, you can fix yours. Humans are motivated, unlike shinigami. Learn everything you can about humans while you are here and then, when you return to your world, use that knowledge to motivate other gods of death and reorganize your world."

Ryuk looked astonished. "Light, you're an optimistic guy. I think I'm catching some of it from you."

"I have to be like that, or I'd never think of improving things on such a grand scale. But, we've lost track of the original topic. What were you going to tell me about the two differences between a shinigami using a death note and a human using a death note?"

Ryuk raised a finger in the air and said, "One, your lifespan won't be extended by the names you write down."

"That's too bad, but I guessed that. How interesting."

"Two, shinigami just look at some random person and write their name. We only look at the human world for as long as it takes to find one victim. But, how can we know? How do we know their names and how much lifespan we'll get?"

Ryuk leaned in close, his eyes wider and rounder than ever, almost glowing, his demented-clown face seeming incredibly spooky in the nighttime gloom of Light's room, lit only by a single desk lamp. Light found his heart beating faster once again. Having a god of death around all the time, there was something immensely weird about it. This creature was a killer; a thoughtless killer who snuffed out lives on a whim.

Ryuk continued, "The second difference is in the eyes of the shinigami. A god of death can see a person's name and lifespan just by looking at their face. We never have to watch a person for some time to research their name, and we always know exactly how many years we'll be getting."

Sweat began running down Light's face. This was seriously creepy, and now he was sure Ryuk's eyes were glowing, just a bit. Was the creature excited?

Ryuk said, "There is another thing. We are joined. A human death note owner can make a deal with a shinigami. You could have eyes just like mine if you wanted."

"A De-deal?"

"Yes, the price for shinigami eyes is half of your remaining lifespan."

"Ha-half the lifespan?"

"If you have one year left, it would be shortened to six months. Fifty years would become twenty-five."

Light thought hard. This, this could be exactly what he needed. It would make him immensely powerful. But, the price was extremely high. Furthermore, the price would thwart Kira's mission. If he had a normal life expectancy, then he probably had fifty or so years left. If the world were forced to be free of crime for that long, there would be a strong chance it would change permanently. But, in just twenty-five years, the old patterns wouldn't be eradicated as much. The world would likely fall back into its old habits. If Light was committed to Kira's mission, he needed to do a good job of it. A short-lived utopia wasn't worth it.

In a sinister, quiet voice, Ryuk said, "I'm able to see your name and lifespan right now, Light. It's in shinigami time, of course, but if I converted it to human years I could tell you exactly when you're fated to die. Except that I would never tell you."

Light felt the creepiness of the entire scene increasing. He had a set time of death, and Ryuk knew it. Ryuk knew when Light would die. Was it fate, immutable and permanent? Could things a human did change their allotted lifespan? Light decided not to ask. If it were unchangeable, he'd rather not know.

Instead, Light said, "And I suppose since you're on neither Kira's side nor L's side, you won't tell me the name of the guy following me?"

Ryuk chuckled. "Nope. It's a rule of the shinigami that I can't tell you names or lifespans unless you already know. So, you only need to give up half your lifespan. It won't hurt; it's just like having contact lenses put on. Do we have a deal?"

Light said, "This deal is out of the question. I couldn't create a proper utopia if I didn't live long enough. You should know me that well by now. I'm fully committed to my mission as Kira. Even if I have to kill my entire family, I'll do it. A deal that lengthened my lifespan would be great, but shortening it is unacceptable."

"Yeah, I know you, but I thought I'd tell you anyway. Well, we can make the deal any time, if you ever change your mind. I wanted to tell you about this early on, so I wouldn't hear complaints about it later."

Light suddenly stood up in a blazing fury. "This is what you think of as early? You should have told me about the deal for shinigami eyes when we met or, better yet, included it in the written instructions inside the death note."

"Yeah."

Ryuk looked genuinely taken aback, and Light felt a warm pleasure in his heart. He could actually unsettle a god of death! This was fun. A creature of death and destruction, who was unkillable and could kill humans with the mere stroke of a pen, could be pushed around so easily! It made Light feel immensely powerful. He really was god-like, to do this to Ryuk. Light gazed into Ryuk's cowed face, memorizing every detail, and filed the memory away for future gloating. There was something like admiration there. Ryuk had probably expected a compliant, frightened human, and the monster was pleased, very pleased, to find a human brave enough to scold him and push him around.

In the same scolding tone, Light said, "And... is there anything else? Is there any additional helpful information you've forgotten to mention or more deals I might make?"

"Nope."

Light gazed at Ryuk. The shinigami looked uncertain. Perhaps there was more, or perhaps this shinigami really didn't understand much about the death note, just as he'd said earlier. Gods of death were pathetic, not even knowing or caring much about their own powers. No wonder Ryuk was so hungry for fun in the human realm.

Light said, "Is that true? That's too bad. If you wanted to give me shinigami wings, I might have taken the deal. I'm the god of the new world, and a god should soar through the skies. And, it's a dream all humans have had since ancient times. It's every child's fantasy, though most grow out of it."

"But everyone would see you flying around and the police would certainly notice you then."

Light smiled. "I was kidding, Ryuk. Of course it wouldn't be practical."

Ryuk said, "If you ever decide you don't care about being practical and want to fly, just ask to ride on my back. I think you'd find it a lot of fun."

Light thought for a moment. It was tempting, but it couldn't work, could it? No, there was no way.

To cover up his sudden lust for flying, Light said, "Besides, even if I could make deals for shinigami body parts, I'd just end up turning into a shinigami like you, and I want to be human. I don't want to be like a deadbeat, lazy shinigami. I want to be a human who uses the death note for my world, to help other humans."

Ryuk said, "Light, I already think of you as a fine shinigami. You are doing everything that a shinigami should do and more."

"Well, I'm not a shinigami, so don't compare me to one."

Ryuk said, "Light, there is a little more I haven't told you yet. You might not be a shinigami, but I'm more human than you think."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I wasn't just looking for fun when I dropped my death note. I wanted some humanity. The death note we share joins us in more ways than one. I can take on some of your characteristics."

Light thought he had an idea of what Ryuk meant, but he said, "Show me."

Ryuk's body began to transform. He was looking less freaky and more human by the second, especially in the face. When Light was sure the transformation had stopped, he circled Ryuk, looking at him carefully from every angle. Ryuk's body and clothing had transformed, even the holster at his waist that held his death note was a slightly different design. The creature blinking nervously back at Light looked almost human, except for the feathery black wings and some ragged patches of blue-white skin.

Ryuk was slightly thinner and taller than Light, a more gangly body build. His clothing had changed from a highly gothic one-piece to a less-gothic set of black leather pants and a black shirt that was, in cut, similar to the shirts Light typically wore. The belt was still outrageously gothic, the buckle a mass of screaming skulls. Ryuk's human face was especially reminiscent of Light's as far as the shape, looking almost like it could belong to a brother, but Ryuk's face was longer, the cheekbones sharper. Ryuk's eyes were no longer yellow with red pupils, but were entirely human, with irises so dark brown, they were nearly black. Ryuk's hair was black too, and in a different style, almost like Light's but slightly longer, hanging just slightly into his eyes.

In a younger, more melodious voice with none of the usual gravelly tone, Ryuk said, "Do you want to see more?"

Without waiting for Light to answer, he peeled off his shirt. As Ryuk threw it on the bed, Light briefly wondered about it. Was it like part of Ryuk's body? A shinigami shirt... what was it made of? But then, Light's eyes were drawn to Ryuk's chest. The large expanse of exposed skin now showed many of those patches of blue-white skin, the ones that didn't mar Ryuk's face at all but did show up on his neck and each hand. Some patches were more bluish in color and others were more whitish, and all had a stitched border, as if Ryuk were a kind of Frankenstein monster. But, a very good-looking Frankenstein monster. Light had to admit that, if Ryuk were visible, he would certainly turn heads for sexual reasons.

"Wait," Light said, "are you visible like this?"

"No. I'm still invisible to everyone except you, and so is that shirt, whether it's on me or not. I'm your secret, Light."

Light almost felt like he was dealing with someone entirely different. Was this really Ryuk? This seemed like dealing with another guy, with a person instead of a monster/pet. How many surprises was Ryuk going to spring?

Light said, "So, are you going to look like this from now on?"

Ryuk said, "No, I can only hold this form for an hour or two each day, and I try to make that time count. So far, I've only been changing into this form while you're asleep, Light, and visiting houses within the limited range caused by being your shinigami. But, there hasn't been anything good there. It's unfortunate."

What was Ryuk doing in other people's houses? Why was his new form essential to that purpose?

"Ryuk, are you showing yourself to other people?"

Ryuk laughed. "It's nothing like that. It's just that, before I was joined to you, I hadn't had a penis for about a thousand years. I really need to jerk off, and I like to watch humans having sex while I do so. But the humans within range of your house are all so unattractive."

Light said, "Ryuk, I could get porn for you. Well, as long as you don't leave shinigami spunk around."

Ryuk leaned down and took Light's hand, pulling it toward his face. Light's heart started beating faster. What was Ryuk doing?

Ryuk said, "Feel the inside of my mouth. I don't have any bodily fluids."

Then Ryuk pushed Light's fingers into his mouth. Light felt funny doing this, but he probed, amazed at the sensations. The inside of Ryuk's mouth was soft and warm, but completely dry. It was flesh, but it didn't feel human. It reminded Light of touching a snake. He'd expected the first snake he ever touched to be slimy or at least oily, especially with the sheen of its scales, but when he'd reached out his hand and stroked it, the animal had been clean and dry.

Light pulled his fingers free of Ryuk's mouth and stared at him. Ryuk was so... weird. It was odd seeing him like this. There was a kind of tension now between them.

Then, Light suddenly knew what to do about his stalker. It popped into his head almost complete, as most of his plans did, and with a few more thoughts, he'd filled in the last details. He was so pleased. There was no way L would be able to use this to narrow down the list of suspects. His plan was perfect.

And, he liked to impress Ryuk, to have Ryuk as an observer of his triumphs. It would be lonely to be Kira and not have anyone know about it except what they read in the news. Ryuk performed that function of being someone nearby who knew and cared. He was a buddy who knew the secret and could watch everything from close up, admiring Light's genius, hard work and determination. It felt good. Without Ryuk, it would all be much more difficult. Ryuk made the Kira mission more meaningful.

Light said, "I've figured it out. How to get the name of the guy following me. There's still time."

Oh, this was going to be so much fun. And, Light knew, he wouldn't even have to kill the girl to cover up the incident. He knew a girl who would never, ever say anything if you asked her to keep a secret. He'd use the power of the death note to trick his stalker into giving up his name, and then further plans could be implemented.

As Light got out the death note and began using the computer to look at information about criminals, Ryuk drew close, still in his mostly-human form but now wearing his shirt once more. He leaned over Light and watched, a grin on his face.

"What are you doing, Light?"

Light replied, "I just have to test exactly how much control I have over my victims by writing down the details of death. When I know that, then I can implement my plans perfectly."

Light smiled. It was incredibly fun to outsmart L and the police. And, it wouldn't be half as much fun without someone close by, watching his triumphs in person. Distant admirers were satisfying, but Ryuk added an extra element to it all.

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**A/N (Author's Note):**

If you want to see a pic of semi-human!Ryuk, check out a link I've placed on my fan fiction dot net profile. It's from an official art book of the series, though there's a lot of disagreement over exactly what it's supposed to represent (whether it's an early design of Ryuk or something else altogether).

Well, this is another attempt to make human/shinigami smut that isn't gross. I'm basing it on a different premise than my epic L/Rem fic "The Sugar Cube Fort" because I find it boring to use the same idea too much.

Obviously, in "Joined" I'm ignoring the shinigami no sex rule, but since that's part of the supplementary materials rather than the body of the manga/anime, and is never actually brought up in the canon storyline proper, I think it's easy to ignore. Anyway, if you're really strict about things like that, then you probably don't read fics like mine at all, so I'm probably not offending you.

I think there is a canon connection between Ryuk and Light, something like a close friendship (they are in some ways like a typical pair of male buddies, just like you find in lots of fiction), but Light ignored many of Ryuk's friendship overtures and things didn't turn out so well. I've often thought that maybe if Light had treated Ryuk like a real friend, what happened at the end wouldn't have happened.

That isolation from all potential allies was one of Light's problems in implementmenting his Kira plan. He should have realized he couldn't do it alone, that he needed real allies and not just tools, but he never trusted anyone and that was bad for him. If he'd had true allies, things probably would have turned out quite differently. Maybe he still would have lost, but he'd have lost in a different way and he'd have been far more of a threat to his enemies.

Not that I wanted Light to succeed (I don't) but I just can't help nitpicking at any flaws I notice in fiction and wondering how things would have happened if characters had made different decisions. Which is, I suppose, one of the urges that drives me to write so much fan fiction.

Anyway, if Ryuk's canon design hadn't been so obviously repulsive, I'm sure the canon Ryuk/Light semi-friendship would have been interpreted as a sexual relationship in countless fan fics. As it is, smut involving Ryuk with Light is quite rare. I hope that by making Ryuk sexually attractive, I've breached that barrier and created something non-squicky.


	2. The Flying Ninja

**CHAPTER 2: The Flying Ninja**

Ryuk wasn't really upset when Light forgot about the plan to get porn for a while. Light was so immersed in his scheming to bring down the FBI agents without leaving a trace that his project took him over, consuming his life with a fanatical drive. Ryuk admired it. Shinigami were so passive, they hardly thought at all, and they rarely did anything new. But this boy, he was so active and intelligent, so interesting to watch, always building simple plans into complex ones. His actions were genuinely surprising, and Ryuk thanked whatever luck had steered Light's hand to the death note.

Light was, indeed, a perfect owner. He was quite unlike the typical humans who tended to pick up the death note, who killed a few people and then panicked, generally either giving up ownership to free their consciences or killing themselves. Quite a few got theirs stolen, too, and it could be fun to watch it go from person to person, spreading destruction along its path. But those sorts of experiences had eventually bored Ryuk. They were too predictable.

Light was gloriously unpredictable. Ryuk hadn't expected such high-quality entertainment when he dropped his death note, just looking for a few mild kicks. Having his expectations surpassed was breath-taking.

Ryuk had at first thought the complicated hijacking scheme was everything there would be to Light's project. Get Raye Penber's name and kill him. But, no, there was so much more to it, and Ryuk made sure not to look at what Light wrote in the death note so he wouldn't spoil anything for himself. Much to his chagrin, Ryuk also ended up needing to avoid transforming into his Light-based form. Having a brain similar to Light's own brain gave him too many hints about what Light was probably thinking. Ryuk wanted to be amazed, not to think of similar ideas himself. It was better that way. Light was a wonderful human, a precious resource, and Ryuk intended to savor every last drop.

Ryuk had never before felt such a rush as he did when Light stood at the closing subway doors, looking through them and down at Raye Penber's terrified, spasming body. The look on Light's face was just perfect. Light was such a joyful killer, taking lives with the kind of emotions that shinigami just didn't show with killing.

Ryuk's heart warmed with admiration when Light looked down at his victim with such an expression of combined dominance and pleasure, saying, "Goodbye, Raye Penber."

And Raye, he reached toward the closing doors with the last of his strength, and in a breathy gasp, said, "Light Yagami!"

Ryuk hoped that wouldn't be Light's undoing. Light was splendid, sure, but he was a bit of a gloater, and there had been three people close enough to possibly have heard Raye Penber's last words. Those people wouldn't understand the significance of Raye's last words, but if L ever interviewed them... the game could end too soon, and that wasn't acceptable.

Ryuk memorized their names and faces as Light moved away. Then Ryuk moved through a wall and, once out of Light's sight, wrote down all those people for innocuous deaths spaced at intervals over the next week, with no talking to anyone about anything they'd witnessed in the subway in the meantime.

No, he wouldn't tell Light about this. Light would get insufferable if he thought he could get real help with his schemes, and that wouldn't be fun at all. Ryuk knew he wasn't on anyone's side, despite his admiration of Light. If the other side fell behind too much, he'd help them too. The important thing was to extend the game as long as possible.

When they got home, Light was on a tremendous high, just like Ryuk. Ryuk could see it glittering in Light's eyes. Light was reveling in his power, imagining himself god-like and with all his grand schemes coming to fruition. There was something incredibly dominant about Light. He wanted to dominate over the entire world, to bend it to his will alone, and it was sexy beyond all reason. Ryuk wanted to reward him, to show him pleasure in return.

As Light wrote criminal name after criminal name into the death note with that maniacal glee only he could muster, Ryuk approached and said, "Light, I think you deserve some celebration. Do you want to go flying?"

Light looked up, excitement and anticipation shining in his eyes. He pursed his lips in that way he did when thinking, then went to his closet and rummaged a bit, taking out a small cloth bag from a high shelf and briefly checking its contents.

Almost absently, Light said, "It'll be cold. This should fit over my coat just fine."

Then Light dressed warmly and walked down to the bus stop, catching one of the late buses and then the subway. He stopped in a district of medium-sized office buildings and a few scattered stores, a district that was mostly empty of pedestrians at this time of night but not too run-down or scary-looking. Then he sought out an alley without any windows facing onto it. Halfway down the alley, Light stopped next to a dumpster and began pulling black clothing out of his cloth bag. Ryuk recognized it as a ninja costume.

Light said, "From the Halloween before last. The black color should make me almost invisible against the night sky. We can never do this during the day, and I'll need to be careful that I'm not seen taking off or landing. But, if I am seen, nobody should recognize me or connect it to Kira."

With that, Light finished putting on the costume over his regular clothing and coat. It looked odd and lumpy, not like a cool ninja at all, but then, Light wasn't some superhero hoping to look neat. He merely wanted to be unobserved. Light stuffed the cloth bag into a pocket, and then said, "How do we do this?"

Ryuk said, "I think you should ride my back. Like a horse."

Ryuk knelt down.

Light said, "Are you sure you won't drop me?"

"It's a shinigami rule that I can't kill or seriously injure a human unless I do so with my death note. Since one of those things would happen if I dropped you and didn't catch you right away, I'll be extremely careful. But hold on tight. Taking off is kind of rough."

Ryuk felt Light climbing on and gripping his torso with his thighs and knees, wrapping his arms around Ryuk's neck. Ryuk grunted, growing out his black feathery wings to their full length, crouched down a bit more, and jumped into the air with more strength than any human could muster. At first, he was rather low in the alley, but with some muscular flaps he was gradually gaining altitude and was halfway to rooftop level when he emerged onto the street.

Ryuk heard Light gasping in pleasure and chuckled, climbing higher and flying down the length of the street. There were a few pedestrians below, but none seemed to be looking up, and in a minute Ryuk was so far up that none should be capable of noticing Light at all.

As the buildings below began to recede into a complex tapestry of lights, Light said, "Ryuk, it is wonderful up here. This is what a god should do. Gaze down on his domain from above, unseen by his subjects."

Ryuk detected that incredibly smug tone in Light's voice again, and he thrilled to hear it. The boy who thought he was a god, who dared to dominate over a god of death and dreamed of having the world tremble at his command - and it was already beginning to happen. But Ryuk didn't care a bit about Light's plan to kill off criminals. Humans were humans. They'd always be the same, no matter how severe you made the punishments. If it was that easy to create a perfect world, humans would have done so with their own laws ages ago, without any need for death notes or boy geniuses.

No, the real thrill was in seeing the kind of negative attention Light could draw from those who wished to stop him, and the games Light would play to keep himself free and his plans in motion, along with enjoying the sheer audacity of someone who thought they could pull off a take-over of the entire world with nothing more than a magic notebook and brainpower.

Light was oddly quiet as they lazily circled above the city, with occasional gasps of pleasure, and Ryuk could sense Light's contemplative mood. Light was enjoying powers beyond the reach of any ordinary human, and he was looking down at what he considered to be his city. He was more than its ruler, he was its god, and he intended to shape the thoughts of all his subjects, molding ideology as only a god could.

After about an hour of flying in the still, crisp December air, Light said, "It is getting very cold, and I don't want to wait until the last bus to go home. Let's look for somewhere to land."

Ryuk said, "I think I'm careful enough to land you near the bus stop without anyone seeing you. We don't need to ride the subway home."

Light hesitated for a moment, untrusting, and then said, "You'd better do a good job."

Ryuk almost laughed. Light was so serious, so confident in his ability to order around a god of death. In some ways, Light was almost like a child emperor. Ryuk had seen a few of those before he'd lost interest in the human world for the first time. The very young always handled power much differently than adults. It could cause quite interesting mishaps and chaos. Light was in love with control. Perhaps when he was older he'd realize that control was boring and discover the pleasures that could be had from giving up control. But, for now, Ryuk knew those pleasures were his alone in the relationship between them. He'd let Light dominate him, because Light was a magnificent, haughty killer and he didn't know any better.

Ryuk wanted to please Light, to reward him for the Raye Penber game and encourage him to go on more flying trips in the future, so he scanned the ground very carefully for a good landing-place away from prying eyes, only a short walk to the bus that would take Light home. Ryuk was sure Light would never take off or land in an area too close to his own home. He was too smart for that. The flying trips would always be at least a bus ride away.

When Ryuk settled down into a dark alley, Light seemed pleased with the result. He quickly peeled off the ninja costume, stuffed it into its storage bag, and used his hands to brush his clothing and hair into moderately passable shape. Ryuk thought Light looked beautiful, whether he straightened himself or not. His hair was tousled, his cheeks pink from the high-altitude December chill, and his eyes almost glowing from the thrill of flying.

Light really was a child, a child with the world as his plaything. Legally, Light was an adult, but his handful of years meant little to Ryuk. Ryuk knew he would always see Light as a youngster, even if he stuck around long enough to see him old and wrinkled. But he didn't expect that. The death note was said to have a certain power over those humans who owned one. They did not meet nice ends.

As Ryuk followed Light home, trailing behind like an obedient dog on an invisible chain, he didn't want the night to end. It was all too perfect to stop. He wanted an additional thrill, to give Light even more pleasure as a reward.

While Light was staring out the bus window deep in thought, Ryuk softly said, "Light, I'm your secret. As long as it's just for fun, nothing to do with your Kira project, you can use me for almost anything you want. Nobody will ever know. Nothing you can suggest would be too shocking. I'm a god of death."

Light looked a bit intrigued, as if he were contemplating possibilities, but other than that slight change in facial expression, he made no acknowledgement. Ryuk had noticed this quite a bit lately. Light was really trying to discourage talk or interaction of any sort except when they were completely private. Ryuk supposed it was necessary for the Kira plan, but it made him feel pushed aside, unneeded. It wasn't really any worse than what shinigami routinely did to each other, but Ryuk did want his relationship with Light to be much different than anything he'd had with other gods of death.

When they entered Light's room, Light started dressing for bed even though he still looked buzzed as well. Light was so addicted to clocks and routines and plans. It was almost scary. Didn't he listen to his feelings at all? Couldn't Light perceive that he'd be tossing and turning for a couple of hours if he tried to sleep now, without discharging any energy? What use was it to be a human if you didn't indulge yourself in those things that were so unique to humans?

Ryuk said, "Light, did you ever get porn for me?"

Light said, "Just a few moments," and turned on his computer.

In an amazingly short time, Light had a tremendous selection available. Ryuk said, "Wow! You need to teach me how to do that."

Light said, "No, I'm not letting you do this by yourself. Even just with surfing the Internet, let alone downloading porn, it's too easy to get viruses if you don't know what you're doing. I don't have time to teach a shinigami about everything you shouldn't do on a computer, so I'll just do it for you."

Light scrolled through the selections, looking almost bored. Ryuk expected Light to pick something out, but he didn't.

Ryuk said, "Aren't you interested in this yourself?"

Light said, "I don't see the point. I don't need help to wank off. I'm perfectly capable of getting excited on my own. If I watched porn, it would probably just make me hornier and I've have to do it more often, and then I wouldn't have as much time for the important things in life. Any teenage male has enough hormones and imagination without deliberately trying to increase it all."

Ryuk said, "Light, if you didn't have a penis for a long time, you'd appreciate it more. Humans have a lot of neat powers. You should have some fun."

Light said, "I didn't really think of it like that, but I suppose you're right. The things I can do, like always needing to use doors, must be fascinating to a shinigami."

Ryuk laughed and said, "Yeah, it's fun to see you look for a door whenever you want to go somewhere. Sometimes I think to myself, 'What if there isn't a door? Then what will he do?' but then I remember that to be inside anywhere you had to use a door on the way in."

Light smiled and said, "You are so weird, Ryuk. What do you want to see?"

"A threesome. You hardly every see those in real life, and when you do, it's generally people who are old or ugly. People at the same level of attractiveness as the Yamamotos next door. They are going at it almost constantly, and both of them are uglier than me in my regular form. They've probably got that syndrome where their last 35-year-old kid finally moves out and suddenly they're as horny as teenagers."

Light quietly said, "Ryuk, I'd rather you never discussed the sexual activities of ugly neighbors again. Now, what kind of threesome?"

Ryuk smiled. He had a plan. He wanted to see if he could provoke a certain reaction from Light.

Ryuk said, "Two guys and a girl."

* * *

**A/N (Author's Note):**

Well, we've seen one chapter from Light's viewpoint and one from Ryuk's, and it seems they do have feelings of some kind for each other.

And, it sounds like Ryuk has a sexy plan. Will it work, or is Light too uptight and prim to fall for it?

What Ryuk did for Light could technically have killed Ryuk, but only if Ryuk loved Light at that point. From this incident, we can know that Ryuk doesn't love Light yet. Ryuk is more in love with the game itself.

Why would Ryuk risk such a thing? In canon, Ryuk said he had no idea that killing to protect a human could kill a shinigami until Rem told him about it, so, unless Ryuk was lying then, Ryuk has no idea of the possible danger at this point in the storyline.


	3. The Decision

**CHAPTER 3: The Decision**

Light scrolled through the threesomes, trying to think of what Ryuk would like. What was a shinigami's sex drive and sexual taste, anyway? Ryuk could go a thousand years without even having the capability to experience physical release. Yet, he was eager enough now, already in his Light-based form and beginning to undress.

Well, there wasn't really any way to tell without just seeing how he reacted, and probably anything would be pretty good when compared to the ugly neighbors Ryuk had been watching lately - ugh - Light had several very unpleasant images jump into his mind, and he forcibly pushed them out by concentrating on the porn videos on the screen in front of him. Light picked out a threesome with two guys and a girl that looked like the sort of thing he'd personally like, and downloaded the video.

Light said, "This one is twenty minutes. Do you think you'll need longer than that? I can download another video or two and show you how to play them."

Ryuk said, "Twenty minutes is enough."

The sound of Ryuk's voice startled Light - younger, not at all gravelly. Ryuk had been staying in his normal form lately, so Light hadn't heard this voice for a while. It almost felt like someone other than Ryuk was suddenly in his room. Light eyed Ryuk, trying to adjust to the change. Ryuk was naked now, except for the holster containing his own death note, which he'd re-adjusted so the straps circled around his chest and over one shoulder, away from the waist area. Of course, Ryuk would be very reluctant to ever let go of his remaining death note.

Yes, Light instinctively wanted to react to Ryuk as he would to another person, since the shinigami sitting on Light's bed looked startlingly human, except for those sewn-on patches of bluish or whitish skin. No, this wouldn't do. Light needed to remind himself of what Ryuk really was. He wasn't a person at all, not even close, no matter how he looked.

Light said, "When you're in that form, you can grow out your wings. Can you also move through objects?"

Ryuk grinned and suddenly sank through the floor, winging back up a few moments later and settling on the edge of the bed once again. Light felt momentarily upset at the thought of a naked guy flying through his house in areas where his mother or sister might possibly be, but shrugged off the feeling as one of the many illogical things that always popped into his mind about Ryuk.

Ryuk shrunk his black feathery wings away to nothing and then said, "You know, very few humans have seen a shinigami penis. I suppose you're lucky that way. Though, technically, you've been seeing it for years."

"What do you mean, Ryuk?"

"Since shinigami don't have genitals, it isn't a combination of our forms, it's an exact copy of your own. Come over here and see."

Light felt odd for a moment but shook it off and strode forward. It was a scientific kind of curiosity, nothing more. Exploring Ryuk was like exploring the properties of the death note. You needed to know how things worked, and you never knew which pieces of information might prove vital later on. Light looked at Ryuk's penis, but he wasn't really familiar enough with how his own looked to tell. It's not like he spent time staring at it, he just used it for whatever function it was needed for and then put it away.

Light told himself once again that Ryuk wasn't human, and besides nobody would ever know about this, so he sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled his pajama pants and underwear down, looking at both penises. It was true, they were exact copies, the same shape, the same size, and even that one vein running down the side was identical. And, as Light peered closer, he noticed that all the folds of skin on the testicles were in exactly the same places, and even the sparse hairs sprinkled across those folds were exactly the same. Then he noticed his face was nearly in Ryuk's lap and he pulled back with an abrupt "Sorry!"

Ryuk said, "Do you know how old I am, kid? I've seen everything. You can't offend me."

Before Light could figure out any response, Ryuk flipped over and spread his ass cheeks, showing his pink, puckered hole.

Ryuk said, "That's something I don't have in my regular form either. If you used a mirror to look at your own, you'd see it's an exact copy too. Since I don't have a real digestive system, it's also the cleanest asshole you'll ever see. My stomach is a blind pouch; it doesn't even connect to my intestines. In fact, my entire body is cleaner than yours will ever be. When I dematerialize, I leave behind any dust or grime or bacteria that may have settled on me. I'm as clean as a sterilized test tube. If you ate food off my stomach, it would probably be safer than eating it off your dinner plates."

Light blinked, unsettled. Ryuk was always saying such weird things, putting such odd images in his head. Light was intrigued, though, by the thought of extreme cleanliness. Everything in the human world was dirty, messy, disordered, and it took as much effort as humans could muster to constantly clean and organize everything. A shinigami body must be very nice in certain ways. You didn't need to spend any time taking care of it, feeding it, or wasting productive hours on sleeping, and it was always extremely clean.

Light reached out and traced one finger along the side of Ryuk's leg, noting how different it felt than human skin. It did feel utterly clean and dry, with not a trace of skin oils or the residue of sweat. Ryuk didn't have bodily fluids. He didn't produce any of those things. Yet, his skin was soft. It didn't feel like some dried-out callus. It felt almost delicate.

Light said, "How do you know all these things about your internal organs?"

"Oh, sometimes when shinigami get bored we spend time cutting each other open and looking at the insides. It's hard to get a good look, though, because even the largest wounds seal up almost instantly. But that makes the game more interesting."

Ryuk got up, grabbed a pen from Light's desk, and stabbed himself deeply in the stomach. Light had to bite back a cry, it was just so gross, but Ryuk's face was completely serene as the pen quickly popped back out on its own and the bloodless wound sealed.

Ryuk said, "It doesn't hurt at all. If you found it amusing, I could let you stab me repeatedly for as long as you want."

Light found an insane little giggle bubbling up from somewhere deep inside, and he felt weird. His heart was suddenly beating faster. Did he want to do that? No, that was sick. He wasn't the type for physical violence, even if it technically wasn't real violence because it didn't cause any pain or damage. That's why the death note was so perfect. You could kill from a distance, keep your hands clean, and keep your mind in a better condition than if you had to personally watch each of your kills.

No, not kills. Judgments. They were judgments on a filthy world, something so like the justice system Light had supported all his life but better, because judgments raining down anonymously on evildoers, in a godlike way, could actually put an end to evil, something the police and the courts could never do. A true end to evil was within the grasp of the world for the first time ever, and Light, Light was the one to offer it to the world, the only one with the power, the intelligence and the commitment to justice that was needed to create a true utopia. Nobody else could do it.

Light visualized Raye Penber's dying face once again. It was both a horrible and a beautiful sight, a sacrifice to the god of the new world. Those who opposed that god were sinners, and they needed to be taken down. Enemies could not be tolerated. Those who merely spoke against the god of the new world were not true enemies. The blasphemers would be allowed to live, to show the god's benevolence and to thereby increase the number of Kira followers. But those who performed actions against the developing utopia, those who sinned and not merely blasphemed, they would always be crushed. Including L, once his identity was uncovered.

Light's fingers were drumming excitedly against the bed as he thought of his plans, of how everyone would eventually see him as the savior he really was and of how, over time, all forms of opposition would gradually disappear. He was keyed-up, inflamed with visions of his crime-free paradise spreading over the entire world.

A sudden twinge in his penis, probably just stimulation from the cold air of the room, brought Light's attention back to the matter at hand. Light realized he still hadn't played that porn video for Ryuk, who was perched on the side of the bed beside him and looking at him curiously. Light pulled up his underwear and pajama pants and walked forward to the computer, starting the video playing, adjusting the volume to very low and maximizing its size with a few clicks of the mouse.

Light said, "I'll go downstairs. Come get me when you're done."

Ryuk said, "Light, I've watched you before, so there's nothing wrong with you watching me. It'll even out the score. Besides, you should masturbate too. You're uptight, and if you don't have fun and release your stress more often you'll die early from some stress-related disease."

Light fumed inside. This shinigami, always giving him advice! And thinking he was uptight? But... if it was for the purpose of living a long time, maybe he did need to consider letting loose more often. Light knew the statistics about stress-related diseases, and they did strike those who were successful like himself quite frequently. They were achiever's diseases, and Kira would perhaps be the ultimate achiever.

And, it was true, Light was high-strung tonight, he had to admit that much. There was a jittery adrenaline high running through Light from Raye Penber's death. The high had been both partly calmed and partly fueled by the nighttime flight. Light glanced at the screen and considered it. The actors were currently rolling around in their bed, all three rubbing against each other in some kind of awkward semblance of foreplay, letting out the fake-sounding moans so typical of porn videos. How annoying. Light leaned forward and muted the sound entirely.

Light went back to sit on the edge of the bed, glancing at Ryuk and seeing him watching the video eagerly, a huge grin on his face even though the actors hadn't really started anything quite yet. Ryuk had a bottle of lotion already positioned beside him. Light found himself pulling down his pajama pants and underwear again, and squirting some lotion into his hand, having somehow made the decision to participate in this without having really consciously made that decision.

He'd done this in front of Ryuk a few times before. It had been easier then, thinking of Ryuk as an object or a monster, a thing that didn't really matter, not like a person at all. Somehow, doing it again, in front of this humanized version of Ryuk, it would prove something, it would prove that Ryuk wasn't anything like a human, that Ryuk had been put back in his proper place.

Masturbating in front of Ryuk was a way of showing Ryuk that he wasn't the one in charge of this relationship, that his status was only slightly different than a hallucination. Yes, for most practical purposes, Ryuk may as well be a hallucination. Perhaps this would help with the quest to train Ryuk to talk less in public.

Light focused on the screen as he began massaging his penis, enjoying the wet friction produced by the lotion, feeling himself hardening and growing. It was an almost automatic process by now. He had learned to be quick and efficient about it. It was more a way of relieving tension, a thing that had to be periodically done to increase his ability to concentrate rather than a source of pleasure as with most teenage boys. But, should he draw it out? Show Ryuk that he could, indeed, last longer than two minutes? No, no, it didn't matter what the shinigami thought, it was just that if Light finished first, it might be tedious to wait out Ryuk's session.

The actors had stopped their lame attempt at foreplay and had skipped oral, moving straight to positioning themselves for penetration. The woman was lying on the bed with her legs spread, and one man was hoisting her legs up and getting ready to enter her, while the second man was kneeling behind the first man, about to penetrate him from behind.

Ryuk chuckled and said, "That isn't realistic. I'm sure they prepared the guy who's about to get it up the ass off-screen. You can't just shove it in without preparing the guy with fingers and lubrication first."

Light coolly said, "I'm well aware that almost all pornography is unrealistic. You're not supposed to think about it."

"Well," Ryuk continued, "it would work with a shinigami like me. It's impossible to hurt me, though if a human male tried to enter me dry, it would probably be uncomfortable for the human. With two humans, dry sex that is rough enough will cause bleeding that eases the movement. Since it's impossible to make me bleed, any human male who tried to enter me without lubrication would probably experience too much dry friction. But, even though the human would probably need lubrication, I wouldn't need to be stretched with fingers first. As long as there was lubrication and the human male had enough strength to thrust into that much tightness, it would be fine. It would probably be pretty intense for the human. The human could be as rough as he wanted to be."

Ryuk was doing it again! Putting weird images into Light's mind. Ryuk was talking so casually about the whole thing too... was he suggesting... or was it just that shinigami didn't have normal boundaries about the things they talked about?

Ryuk said, "You know, I'm up for anything. Nothing is too shocking for me. If you wanted, I could demonstrate for you. It would probably be a more interesting way for you to get off."

Light's motions on his penis stopped momentarily and the corner of his lip twitched. The shinigami was indeed suggesting something! Light focused on the video playing on his computer screen, refusing to even look at Ryuk out of the corner of his eye. That audacious creature! Was he going to become demanding and needy now, like the girls Light was always trying to brush off? Or, was Ryuk just curious and bored and sexual activities truly meant nothing to him?

If it really could stay in the bedroom... if Ryuk could still be trained into being a silent shadow when in public... and, the idea of a cleaner body than any human, a completely sterile body, it appealed to something in Light, to his sense of order and rightness... it would be nice to have a warm body writhing underneath him, a regular sexual partner could provide more satisfying releases than just using masturbation... it would be his own secret, like the death note itself, a pleasure that nobody else would ever know...

But, what if he lost control of things? Sexual relationships in humans were tainting, entrapping, they complicated everything. If sex with Ryuk created anything like that, it wouldn't be tolerable, especially with Ryuk following him around for the rest of his life. Ryuk's desires for companionship and entertainment had to be carefully controlled and contained. If sex changed that balance... no, it was best not to risk it. Ryuk obviously didn't think like a human, so he might not have any expectations like those a human lover would have, but it was still better to avoid things that could potentially change the power dynamic between them.

Light concentrated on speeding up his strokes, feeling the rising pleasure within him. It was best to get this release over with and go to bed. Light couldn't help glancing at Ryuk and saw him doing likewise. Light focused on the screen again, letting himself be aroused by the activities he saw there, pressing harder, a few beads of sweat running down his forehead, feeling his balls drawing up and tightening as an intense heaviness gathered together just at the base of his penis.

Then he heard a sharp cry from Ryuk and looked over to see Ryuk's penis twitching, looking as if it were spurting invisible semen, but nothing was exiting Ryuk's penis. Ryuk had no bodily fluids. He looked orgasmic, though. His face had that unmistakable expression of bliss, and little spasms ran through his body.

In the next moment, Ryuk sighed and said, "Being partly human is so wonderful."

His voice sounded lazy and sated and a bit calculating, as if there were some game afoot.

Light ignored Ryuk and concentrated once again on his own pleasure. That feeling that had been building inside him only needed a few pushes in the right direction... Light manipulated his penis meticulously, with sure, measured strokes, each movement carefully calculated to bring him to his climax quickly and easily. And then, he could feel it. He clutched himself tightly with both hands and let out an undignified sound, as everything that had been rising within him suddenly released, and warm spurts spilled over his fingers.

In the next moments he spiraled down from his high and was faced with the dirty reality of it all, that his penis and fingers were covered with a mix of cum and lotion and he'd need to clean it up. He leaned over, but Ryuk was faster and handed him a bunch of tissues. As Light laboriously wiped himself, trying to get every last drop of the mess, Ryuk grinned at him and said, "Watch this!"

Ryuk had only a bit of lotion on his own penis. He put some tissues on the bed, positioned his penis above them, and then suddenly the lotion fell right through his penis onto the waiting tissues below. Light was envious. Ryuk was so perfect and clean, and he hadn't even sweated one drop. There was no sweat in him, no skin oils, no semen, no spit or snot or earwax. It must be nice to not deal with any of those things. Compared to Ryuk, all humans were gross repositories of bodily fluids and germs and dirt.

Light finished his cleaning, turned off the computer and the lights, and slipped under the covers. Ryuk was curled up at the foot of the bed on top of the covers, a weight against Light's feet. Ryuk was dressed but still in his mostly-human form, and there was an odd gleam in his dark brown eyes. Light pushed him further down, out of reach, and then curled up, trying to go to sleep.

Sleep eluded him. He was antsy, even still. He tossed and turned, continually alternating between mentally reliving Raye Penber's death, or being caught up in all the weird images Ryuk had put into his head. Really, starting up a hobby of stabbing Ryuk for the fun of it, or taking him on as a sexual partner... Ryuk was just weird.

A few times during his insomnia, Light looked at Ryuk, and saw him in his normal form again, still curled at the foot of the bed. Odd. The monster didn't need to sleep, and he normally amused himself at night by going elsewhere, probably watching TV in other people's houses within the radius he could travel.

Then, gradually, the truth dawned on Light. He was still worked up sexually. Was it watching porn that had done it? He usually didn't bother with such things for this very reason. It was just stupid to increase your own horniness when it was already too much of a distraction from the important things in life. Or, maybe it was Ryuk's suggestion. The offer of incredibly clean, hot sex with no boundaries whatsoever... and then to have that creature who had offered it sleep in the same bed with you, it was something likely to affect a young man of Light's age. Light did look forward to being older, when his hormones wouldn't interrupt his concentration so often.

Light eyed Ryuk's monstrous form. Now, Ryuk was ugly, but he could be good-looking. And, maybe, making use of him in a sexual way did make sense. Sex wasn't like masturbation. If you got it regularly, it was supposed to curb your needs, improve your ability to focus on other parts of life, truly satisfy you so you didn't have nagging, inconvenient, embarrassing urges coming up all the time. Well, they did come up, but you could get rid of them more completely and easily than you ever could with your own efforts. Having a regular sexual partner gave a man a certain advantage in all of life's endeavors.

Light could hardly believe he was doing it, but he crawled to the foot of the bed, took a deep breath, and shook Ryuk's shoulder. Ryuk rolled over, looking at Light with those bugged-out monster eyes, smiling with that clown-mouth filled with spiky teeth that split his face all the way up to nearly his cheekbones.

_Am I really considering this? Really thinking of having sex with that... thing... that monster?_

Light took another deep breath, and, in a commanding voice, he said, "I'm thinking of trying that experiment you suggested. Do you have much remaining time today for being in your other form?"

"If I transform now, I could probably stay like that an hour."

"If this is going to happen, this is just fun, nothing more. It won't change anything between us, and you won't ever act like a girlfriend or a wife. Do you agree?"

Ryuk said, "Sure. We're only relieving each other's boredom. Just like we've been doing all along."

Then, Ryuk was transforming, and moments later a nearly-human teenager with black hair and dark brown eyes was kneeling on the bed in front of Light, with a lowered head even though he was taller, so he could gaze up coquettishly at Light. Ryuk looked eager and submissive all at once. Then, Ryuk had closed the last bit of distance, making the first move, and his lips, those curiously dry, soft, warm lips, were pressing in a rhythm against Light's own in a hungry kiss, a kiss that felt like the kiss of a man who had been celibate for a very long time.

* * *

**A/N (Author's Note):**

Well, the lemon is almost here, as I'm sure you can see. I felt there needed to be a lot of build-up to it for it to be believable and in-character for both of them, which is why this chapter was mostly thinking, with little action. I hope I succeeded in making it believable.


	4. The Sex

**CHAPTER 4: The Sex**

Ryuk pressed himself to Light hungrily, kissing hard and insistently. Oh, this was so good, to feel a human once more. Ryuk knew, though, that everything had to be perfect, so Light would want to continue this. He must be lured in and satisfied with techniques suited to his personality, so he'd want more and more.

Light was a little hesitant but trying to act commanding. Well, soon enough he'd take charge for real, but for now it was time to get him as hot as possible. As Ryuk kissed, he expertly rid himself of all his clothing and then began working on Light's pajamas, removing them quickly and efficiently. Light's eyes looked surprised. He'd probably never seen anyone undress so fast. Well, there were advantages to being incredibly old. Perfect coordination, nimble fingers and having lots of experience were some of them.

Then, as Light continued to sit in the middle of the bed, Ryuk started kissing in a line down Light's torso, and was encouraged when he heard the teenager's breath speeding up. Light was excited, he was reacting intensely, and the thought pleased Ryuk to no end. Light hadn't breathed like this during masturbation. When Ryuk reached Light's erection he gave it a few licks with his soft, warm tongue before reaching for the bottle of lotion and squirting it all over Light's penis. There were some disadvantages to having a completely dry mouth, but there were easy solutions.

Then, Ryuk began sucking Light's cock in slowly, being sure to massage it hungrily with his tongue as it slid inside bit by bit. Light swelled a little more. The kid was probably almost painfully stiff by now, and as Ryuk deep-throated him hard and eagerly, with no pain, no gag reflex, and no need to breathe, he could hear Light trying to hold back sounds and mostly succeeding. Oh, Light was worked up, all right, to be making noise at all. Light's chest was heaving and Ryuk felt Light's hands wandering and tugging in his hair, pulling, getting into a rhythm, increasing the speed on the in strokes. Light wanted control so badly, even over his own automatic responses. Soon, soon, Light would dominate vigorously...

Light suddenly pulled Ryuk's head up and said, "How can you stand the lotion?"

Ryuk said, "It doesn't taste good, but it's not going to hurt me. My sense of taste isn't like a humans' sense. I'm the reason your mother and sister keep complaining about the shampoo getting used up. For a while, I kept drinking the apple-scented shampoo."

Well, this probably meant oral was over, and it was time to go to the next step, to show Light just what a shinigami could do. Ryuk briefly went incorporeal and all the lotion in his mouth fell directly through his bottom jaw onto Light's genitals. He grinned at the startled expression on Light's face, and then climbed up Light's body, right into his lap. Yes, if Light wanted to kiss him later, Light wouldn't want the taste of lotion, and now it was all where it would do the most good.

Ryuk said, "Ready?"

"Yes."

Ryuk began sitting down in Light's lap, slipping his hole over the tip of Light's slippery erection and sliding down the shaft slowly. It felt so good, so large, incredibly filling, but Ryuk took it slow for Light's sake. Light's eyes rolled back into his head a little and he looked as if he might orgasm right that second. It was almost certainly the tightest thing Light had ever been inside. Ryuk rose up onto his knees and sat down again, then repeated the motions, impaling onto Light several more times at the same slow, steady pace, holding Light's trembling body in his arms, seeing that beautiful nearly-orgasmic face, rubbing his own hard cock against Light's stomach and feeling Light's erect nipples brushing against his own chest.

Ryuk grew out his wings and wrapped them around Light as well, subtly stroking and tickling Light's sides and back as he continued to slowly fuck Light's dick, taking it in deeply and fully every time he sat down on it. Light was so excited, almost unbearably excited, and Ryuk could see the struggle on Light's face as he tried to keep his composure, tried to fight his building orgasm. Any faster, and Light would have lost it already. Humans were so interesting, so easy to get worked up, so passionate in expressing their feelings, especially the young ones.

Ryuk wondered if Light had been a virgin, if he'd just now taken Light's virginity. Light had never mentioned having sex before, and he regularly turned down clear offers from many women and a few men. Light gave the impression that he had a disdain for sex, saw it as a waste of time, and if he'd had sex before, that attitude would be less likely. Once a teenage male got a taste of sex... but, you couldn't ask a guy like Light a question like that.

And then, it happened, the moment Ryuk had been waiting for, the moment he'd known would happen. The battle in Light's face went in the direction of him gaining control over his impending orgasm, and along with that look, Light suddenly seemed more calculating and dominant, and then he grabbed Ryuk's shoulders roughly and flung him down on the bed. Ryuk looked up at the nude, dominant Light kneeling above him, just what he'd been waiting for. Ryuk smiled and spread his legs. Light grunted and, placing his hands on the bed on either side of Ryuk's torso, thrust in hard and viciously.

"Yes," Ryuk whispered, "fuck me."

And Ryuk enclosed them in a cocoon of his wings as Light thrust faster, at an erratic pace, the strain showing on Light's face and his eyes glittering with a fierce dominance as the sweat ran down Light's face, down his chest, making it slippery between their bodies where Ryuk's hard cock constantly pressed up against Light's stomach. But Ryuk wanted it harder, rougher. He wanted Light to know there really weren't any limits.

"Why so gentle?" Ryuk said, "Do you still think it's possible for you to hurt me? You could fuck me with a chainsaw and there wouldn't be any pain or damage."

Light got an expression on his face as if he'd been issued a challenge. His eyes were hard and mean. His thrusts became stronger, sharper, plunging in fast and fully and very rough. Yes, this would certainly hurt any human lover, except the most experienced. Ryuk craved it and writhed on the bed underneath Light, a flurry of arms and legs and long, long wings reaching up to wrap around Light, to enfold him and tremble, brushing feathers against Light's skin.

Ryuk knew he could come any time he wanted to. His excitement was at that fever pitch, and the feeling of Light moving within him was just so heavenly, but if he came, there would be internal spasms that would probably cause Light to lose control and have that orgasm he'd been fighting for so long. And Light hated losing control, absolutely hated it.

Plus, Light loved to have others cater to his needs, to his desire to dominate, and the act of Ryuk withholding his own orgasm was a way to show Light that this sex was just for him, a special treat, a form of service. This first time needed to be a very attractive experience to ensure that Light was fully captured, temptation kept at an irresistible high.

Ryuk held in his orgasm, resisting it but still riding the waves of pleasure that occurred when dwelling so close to climax. And then, he could see it in Light's face, as Light at last decided that now an orgasm would not be losing the battle. Light was letting the pleasure suffuse his face and closed his eyes, gave a few more completely vicious thrusts, and came hard with a weird noise that was like a moan and a snort and a very quiet scream all mixed into one strange sound. Ryuk immediately averted his eyes from Light's face while Light's eyes were still closed. He knew Light didn't want others to see private moments like this one.

Then, Light was trying to pull out, to pull away, but Ryuk wrapped him close, using his arms, legs and wings to keep Light in place.

Ryuk whispered, "Stay. Your needs haven't been satisfied yet."

It was true. Ryuk could feel it in Light's body. Only the surface tenseness had been relieved. Light had deep sexual needs, things that hadn't come out during masturbation or their sexual encounter; Light needed to spend himself fully. Light was panting in Ryuk's grasp, so sweaty, his chest heaving, the slightest tremble to his arms, and he didn't resist Ryuk's suggestion.

Ryuk ran nimble fingers down Light's sides, using all the skill he'd learned in his interactions with humans before. It had been a very long time, but some things you never forgot. Human bodies were just the same as they had ever been, and once you learned how they worked you could apply that knowledge endlessly. Ryuk circled the points of Light's hipbones with just the right pressure, using delicate, sure caresses. Light probably didn't know that the hips were minor erogenous zones, especially on males, and if you knew just how to stimulate them...

Light shifted in Ryuk's arms and groaned softly. Ryuk had never seen him so vulnerable or so dominant, and it was all at the same time, the two states mixed together beautifully. Light was such a fragile yet proud human, and his fragility made his bravado meaningful. If you were a shinigami, it was easy to be brave. But, when you were a frail little human, and yet you were willing to take on the world and force it to your will, then you were really doing something.

Light seemed to be enjoying the feathers, so Ryuk stroked Light even more with his wings, and was rewarded with shivers and sighs and some goosebumps. Then, without relenting on the hipbones, Ryuk drew Light into a kiss. Light's eyes were closed but his mouth responded hungrily, and soon Ryuk had slipped Light some tongue and was licking out Light's juicy, juicy mouth. Ryuk's dry body craved juice, craved liquid, and Light's mouth was just so wet and sloppy and yummy. And then, Light was pressing his lips back more forcefully, pressing his tongue hard into Ryuk's mouth and pinning Ryuk's shoulders with his hands.

Light bit Ryuk's tongue hard, probably hard enough to cause a human to bleed, and it seemed to excite Light. A few moments later, Light's penis was hardening inside Ryuk, and Ryuk encouraged the process by arching his back and wriggling up against Light, his own swollen erection getting stimulation between their stomachs. Light responded fiercely, thrusting hard and viciously as Ryuk spread his legs and took it all eagerly.

Now, during this second time, it would be fine to climax, and Ryuk intended to let himself get as high as possible before that happened. It wasn't difficult. Light was fast and frantic, his cool reserve forgotten as he made the bed thump hard against the wall. Ryuk smiled as his excitement rose. This was turning into noisy sex, but even if they got caught in the act, it would just look like Light was masturbating.

As Light continued to plunge in over and over and Ryuk rode the waves of bliss higher, he knew there was just one thing he needed for the most perfect climax. He needed a clear act of domination from Light, something more than just Light's current rough sex.

Ryuk whispered, "Bite me hard."

And then, Light made a strangled little growl and bit Ryuk's shoulder so hard it tore the skin briefly, and as it healed Ryuk let out a long drawn-out whine and came deliciously, reveling in the sensation, the beautiful miracle of being human enough to feel this shuddering, exquisite pleasure that put all your nerves on fire and made your world collapse to a single point of ecstasy. Light was still thrusting hard and it just made the rippling waves of the orgasm that much sweeter, each thrust a slide of tight, throbbing bliss.

And then, Light clenched his teeth and tried not to make a sound, but he was releasing too, the sweat running down his face and though Light was trying to control it, he looked more honest and relaxed than Ryuk had ever seen him, truly letting things go that had been bottled up inside him for a long time. Light's eyes had a kind of stunned haze in them, and Ryuk had to smile, giving him an impulsive peck on the cheek as Light pulled out.

Light exhaustedly tried to pull himself up the bed. He was panting and looked worn out, as if he'd run a hard marathon and had just now collapsed from exhaustion. Ryuk knew this state must upset Light's equilibrium, his image of himself. Well, Light didn't need to worry about that.

Ryuk carefully checked the hallway to be sure it was clear of observers, and then brought a few things back from the bathroom. He hovered over Light, cleaning him of sweat and semen with a warm, damp cloth, then drying him with a soft towel. When that was finished, Ryuk dressed him in his pajamas and tucked him carefully under the covers. Light was limp and exhausted and he didn't do a thing during the entire process. He looked haughty and a bit grateful at the same time.

Just before Light's eyes closed, Ryuk leaned down and kissed him one more time. He drew back and said, "We've certainly cured each other's boredom for tonight."

Light said nothing, but his eyes closed and moments later his breathing was the soft, even rhythm of deep sleep.

* * *

**A/N (Author's Note):**

Well, this is my first Ryuk and Light lemon that is serious rather than sarcastic (for the sarcastic one, see "Shinigami Facts of Life"). I hope I did a good job and it was hot and non-squicky.

And, I think if any canon character can be argued to be a true submissive, it would probably be Ryuk. He's extremely powerful, yet he chooses to give up power and let a human lead him around by the nose, and he seems to get excited when Light scolds him or bullies him. He chose a lack of power for the kicks.

Canon Misa is pretty submissive too, which is why Light likes her or tolerates her even slightly, but she'll sometimes argue with Light and I can't remember any instance of her getting excited when Light dominates over her, rather she seems annoyed that Light thwarts her wishes. And, when canon Misa is submissive, it's often a roundabout way of trying to get her will, a passive-aggressive thing, while canon Ryuk is more honestly submissive.

I think canon Ryuk basically established the ground rules at the beginning - no real help for the Kira mission, except for a few minor things in return for apples - and other than refusing to be bullied into violating those rules, he'll go along with whatever Light wants, having a very laid-back attitude about it all.


	5. The Consequences

**CHAPTER 5: The Consequences**

Light found himself instinctively trying to shut out the blaring sound of his alarm. Usually, he woke a minute or two before the alarm and turned it off, but this morning was different. Light blinked a few times and then squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to sink into his pillow and the enclosing sheets and blankets, completely burying himself. It would be nice to simply wait until that sound went away. He was tired and immensely satisfied. His warm bed was perfect.

Despite the constant noise of the alarm, Light was almost asleep again when he heard Sayu squealing, "Hey, Mom! Light isn't up yet."

Then Light was truly awake, the events of the previous day and night flowing into his head all in one fast rush, at first a jumbled mess of sex and flying and Raye Penber's dying body squirming on the ground, arm stretched out, but then the events were quickly sorting themselves into chronological order.

In the next moment Light heard a muffled thump at his door and Sayu said, "Light? Why is your door locked?"

Light reconciled himself to the idea that he wasn't going to go back to sleep and, raising his voice loud enough to carry through the door, said, "I told you about this before, Sayu, remember? I'm old enough to deserve my privacy. How do you know I don't have a woman in here?"

Sayu let out an excited shriek and Light heard his mother's voice, somehow sleepy and yelling at once, saying, "Light, stop teasing your sister."

Ryuk was nowhere to be seen. As Light stretched and got out of bed and began dressing, he realized he was glad not to confront that strange monster right away. It was right to have some quiet time to gather his thoughts. Mornings after sex could be awkward.

Ryuk had said it was just mutual relief from boredom, and he'd sounded pretty casual about it all, but there was still something in Light that half-expected Ryuk to have one of those dreaded after-sex personality changes into something clinging and needy.

As Light finished fastening his tie and put his hand on his bedroom door to unlock it, he hesitated, gathering his thoughts together, savoring the memories before confronting the rest of the world. It had all been so immensely satisfying. Light still had good feelings in every part of his body, and he felt more energetic than usual, running on high spirits.

Ryuk had been tighter than the few girls he'd bedded, and, unlike them, Ryuk gave the impression that he knew what he was doing.

And with girls you couldn't be too vigorous or rough, or they'd start complaining. Light suspected it must be even more so with guys, considering the mechanics of the situation.

There were many advantages with Ryuk: to not need to hold back during sex at all; to have it completely and utterly private; to have a partner who was readily accessible without going through the work of dating; and, best of all, it was completely clean and sanitary. Consequence-free sex, wasn't that what everyone wanted?

Very few people had even some of those things. It was like being serviced sexually in the way a god should be serviced. Another perk of the death note.

Yes, it was very fitting. Ryuk had better not ruin it by some kind of weirdness or emotional attachment. The situation with Ryuk needed to be monitored and closely controlled.

Light opened his bedroom door and resolved to watch Ryuk for the slightest sign of clinging, or neediness, or acting like it meant something.

Light found Ryuk downstairs in the kitchen, hovering over the fruit bowl. A couple of apples that had been there the previous night were missing. Light shot Ryuk a glare to remind him that it was bending the rules to help himself that way. Yes, Ryuk was careful, but it was best to restrict certain things to the bedroom. The last thing Light needed was an obligation to kill his mother or sister because Ryuk got sloppy.

Ryuk reacted as always, grinning as if he were thinking of starting something, yet obediently moving away. That was good. No signs of anything being different so far. In the next moment Light's mom and Sayu spilled into the kitchen, laughing together, probably over some joke that Light hadn't heard. Sayu's hair was barely brushed and she still had on her plaid pajamas.

Sayu caught the tail end of Light's glare and waved her arms in the air, saying, "Oh, no, what did I do? Light's going to kill me."

Light smiled and let just the right amount of smug satisfaction into his voice as he said, "It's because Sayu made it so difficult to smuggle out that woman this morning. I ended up having to lower her from my balcony with a rope."

_They probably won't believe it, but the idea implanted in their minds should help explain away any noises they might hear in the future. I know my walls are too thick to hear much, but it doesn't hurt to have a plan in place. Mom would be afraid to investigate anyway. She'd rather not know._

Sayu squealed and said, "You kept a girlfriend in your bed last night? Was it Yuri? Didn't you go on a date with her yesterday?"

Ryuk laughed and said, "Boasting about getting laid, huh?"

Sachiko was already beginning to fry some great-smelling things in a pan on the stove, but she turned away long enough to say, "Sayu, your brother is teasing you. He's probably angry that you left that big smear of toothpaste on the mirror last night and that you left your purse in the sink."

Light said, "Or it could be that Sayu always has me do half or more of her homework, and yet she never strives to better herself. I come downstairs dressed, but she still comes downstairs in her pajamas."

Sayu said, "Hey, it's Sunday! I don't have to get dressed until noon."

Light said, "Even so, Dad's already at work. Those of us who don't have jobs should try harder to perform our duties, in honor of him."

In an absent, weary voice, as of someone who was all too used to the situation, Sachiko said, "You know, I'm not even sure if your father came home last night."

_He is probably being forced to do extra work because of the twelve FBI agents dying. I'm sure their bodies have been discovered long enough ago so that the NPA has heard of it. Now, all I need to do is wait. The NPA will be angry and think they cannot trust L. They will be desperate to investigate him and they'll uncover his identity for me. Then, L will die. It's that simple._

Ryuk was laughing again. He probably thought the same thing. After all, the plan had already been explained to him. It was nice to have an audience, someone who knew directly of Kira's achievements.

It was really too bad that Kira would never be able to reign publicly. Kira was only truly powerful if he ruled from a position of absolute secrecy. In any other situation, a single sniper's bullet could easily put an end to it all. Having a large audience for Kira was out of the question, in any way except obliquely. No, the best that could be savored was Ryuk's watchful gaze and the more distant admiration found in Kira websites.

Yes, Ryuk was a valuable resource, but he had to be put in his place. Light watched Ryuk throughout breakfast, vigilant for anything different than Ryuk's normal attitude. Light wasn't quite sure if he had detected anything. There were perhaps a few hints of an attachment, but it could be his imagination. It needed further evaluation.

Light divided his morning between studying sessions and watching television with Sayu. When he was in his room, Ryuk was talkative, but seemingly in his normal way.

After lunch, Light decided to test it. Speculation was useless. It was time to go on a date with a girl and see if Ryuk could behave himself. Should it be another date with Yuri? It would be a chance to remind her again not to talk about the bus incident.

Though, Light knew Yuri would keep any secret and she'd already been asked to keep it. She would never go back on her word. That's why he'd chosen her. There was no purpose in bringing up the topic again, and it might even start seeming suspicious. Plus, two dates within so short amount of time might bring Yuri's hopes too high and make her into an annoyance.

Perhaps Emi or Shiho would be a better idea. Both of them had been on-and-off girlfriends in the past and they currently had no boyfriends. They wouldn't expect much, but they were easily maneuverable. Light knew he could get either of them into the type of situation that would reveal whether Ryuk were going to become jealous and weird.

Although, there was no reason to limit it. Just about any of his female classmates, even those with current boyfriends, would jump at the chance of a date with Light Yagami. Light mulled over the possibilities for nearly an hour, trying to decide which one would be the very best girl to lure into a make-out session and then immediately drop.

In the end, predictability of behavior won out and Light called up Shiho. She answered sounding tired, then immediately perked up with a delighted laugh as Light said, "It's Light, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in going on a date today."

Light's eyes were on Ryuk, studying him for any reaction, any slightest change in expression.

Ryuk merely said, "Another date so soon? Are you going to kill more people, Light? What are you planning?"

Shiho said, "That sounds great, Light! But everyone has been saying you won't socialize or do anything until after the entrance exams."

"Well, I changed my mind because I scored number one on the practice exams. I need to celebrate and it's a little while yet until the New Year's holiday. When I wanted to have fun, I immediately thought of you."

Shiho let out a whoop and then said, "Let's go to my uncle's Karaoke bar! We get in for free, and free drinks too."

_Karaoke? How undignified._

Light said, "I've got a better idea. I'd like to give you a real treat. Let's go to an ice skating rink and then a nice restaurant afterwards, just like our last date."

"Oh Light, you remembered! But, don't you remember I'm a little bit wobbly?"

"That's okay, I like to hold you steady. Just cling to me and you'll never trip."

A short conversation later, they had agreed to meet at the nearest bus stop to their school.

Meeting Shiho there was eerily reminiscent of the date with Yuri the previous day. It almost felt as if he were about to go through the whole procedure of trapping and disposing of an enemy once more. He actually had a pang of disappointment at the thought that it would merely be an ordinary date. Ordinary, except for its purpose in evaluating Ryuk.

Shiho was like Yuri in some ways, a rather average girl, but she was taller, with a gangly, clumsy body and she tended to be a bit loud. She let out a Sayu-like excited squeal on glimpsing Light and ran to him, bubbling over with meaningless conversation while they waited for the bus and during the entire bus ride to the subway. Light answered at the appropriate intervals, usually agreeing with her or producing short acknowledgements that he was still listening. He inserted the occasional piece of flattery to keep her happy and excited.

His eyes were on Ryuk much of the time. So far, so good, except that Ryuk seemed a tiny bit irritated at not being able to talk to him in an environment where, if Light were alone, they could have had at least a few whispered conversations. Still, that was a kind of irritation Ryuk had shown before the sex, so it didn't necessarily mean anything had changed. The real test would come later.

The subway ride was short and much the same, except for when they got out at the closest subway stop to their destination. There was something there. Light almost walked past it, but it caught his eye before he could.

It was on a rack with magazines and newspapers, in a stand selling everything to read for subway riders. It was on the cover of a tabloid newspaper. Not the biggest cover story, it was kind of small and tucked towards the bottom corner, but it was still on the cover. There was a blurry photo and a headline saying, "Tokyo Residents Report Flying Ninja".

Light detoured, picked it up and flipped to the article. The guy who had taken the photo was a UFO nut job. He'd been scanning the skies with a telescope and had taken the photo using a telephoto night scope lens. He'd called a bunch of his friends and they'd seen it too, though their photos were even worse.

Light ignored the attendant who was saying, "Buy it, don't just read it. You'll bend the pages for the other customers."

Light considered killing the photographer, and everyone in his little group. Two of them had their names and faces in the article, and it would be easy to find the rest.

Ryuk finally noticed and loomed over Light's shoulder, saying, "Looks like we got caught. What are you going to do?"

Light made a sudden decision and replaced the tabloid, walking away.

Shiho grabbed his hand and said, "Wow, Light, I didn't know you were interested in tabloid stories. Do you think it might be an ancient ghost? I mean it's not like it could be a modern ninja."

_Will I have to kill this girl? No, the article doesn't mean anything. The police don't have the slightest idea that 'The Flying Ninja' might be connected to Kira, and even if they did, it would prove nothing._

Light continued to lead Shiho by the hand as they made their way through the crowds, and answered, "No, tabloids are inane. I only look at them occasionally because of my interest in investigating things. Along with trying to solve cases the police have given up on, I sometimes imagine myself as a debunker. It would help the world if I could one day go around and disprove all the silly things that occupy the minds of superstitious people. It would uplift society, make everyone more intelligent, to definitively get rid of some of these things."

Ryuk said, "Things like me, Light?"

In an appreciative voice, Shiho said, "How do you _do_ all this? I mean, you're the top student in all of Japan, you've already solved a few cases for the police, and you're so confident about the entrance exams that you're going on a big date with me."

Light said, "You just have to be passionate about success. Those who work hard and follow the rules get rewarded."

Ryuk said, "I wonder if she's going to do worse on her entrance exams because of this."

_If so, that's her own fault for being impulsive and lusting after me. She deserves anything she gets._

Soon they were up the stairs and out of the subway, on street level, and then it was only a short walk to the ice rink. It was a huge, indoor facility with three separate rinks for different ability levels, along with food vendors, video games, and pinball machines.

Shiho didn't want to skate right away. She first made Light buy her some ice cream from the eating area off to one side, and sat at a small table with him, giggling every time her constant talking made her fall behind and she had to eat her ice cream extra quick to keep it from melting into her lap. All the while, she played footsie with Light under the table.

Light encouraged her, going so far as to place one foot on her upper thigh and slide back and forth suggestively, just out of reach of the juncture between her legs. She blushed and rolled her eyes and giggled more and pressed forward into his foot. He retreated the exact distance she had advanced, continuing to tease her while controlling the situation. Making her want him. Making her think she was the one pursuing, when it was really the other way around. It only took a bit of patience and intelligence to fool silly girls like Shiho into thinking they'd initiated everything.

Light continued the performance even while a nearby elderly woman did her best to stare him down. By the time Shiho finished her ice cream, she was flushed and slightly panting. Light helped her up, pulling her to the area where skates were rented and putting on hers for her, noting the way she shivered slightly as he held her foot by the ankle, the way she yelped and roughly grabbed his shoulder as he shoved each tight skate on.

She tried to tell him he was lacing them too tight, but he shook his head and replied, "No, that's one reason why you're wobbly. Skates should be laced as tight as you can possibly get them. They're designed so it is impossible to cut off the blood flow that way."

And then she trusted him, letting him do as he pleased, and soon they were linked on the ice, Shiho trembling slightly and clinging, Light smoothly leading her forward, guiding her around the others. He steadied her by gripping her waist, letting his hands linger and squeezing just so. It was an erogenous zone there, just around the waist and hips, and having an excuse to constantly touch that area in a public place, where nothing further could be done, should drive her unfulfilled lusts to further heights.

During the skating Ryuk didn't seem to take much notice and flew around by himself most of the time. He seemed to be amusing himself by clinging to the ceiling and looking at things there.

Light kissed her a few times as they skated. She was surprised and nervous but eager, and she tasted like mint ice cream.

She wore out faster than he did. He could tell she was tiring but reluctant to show it, so he pushed her to stay on the ice, smiling and laughing and feeding her a few scraps of flattery. Get her horny, wear her out, fill her with satisfying food, and keep her waiting as long as possible, and then she'd be willing to do just about anything.

As he thought of it, Light felt a small spark of disgust. She really was a silly cow, not suitable for himself at all. Anyone who could be manipulated so easily wasn't worthy. Well, he wouldn't go so far as sex, even if she wanted it. It was all a test, in the end, an important experiment in making sure Ryuk was under control.

Besides, perhaps she'd picked up diseases somewhere, and condoms weren't one hundred percent effective. Caution was better. With Ryuk, no caution was needed. He didn't even have the harmless forms of bacteria living on his skin that all humans did. He was utterly sterile, like a recently-boiled piece of laboratory equipment.

Yes, all humans were, to one extent or another, repositories of disease and filth. Very few of them were morally clean, let alone anything approaching physically clean.

The death note was an amazing opportunity, in so many ways.

In a flurry of limbs, Shiho suddenly tripped. Light had just enough strength and presence of mind to grab her up off the ice, almost wrenching his back in the process. He groaned under her weight as he carried her and continued to slide forward on his own skates slowly. Other skaters made a path for him.

Shiho said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Wow, you're so strong, Light!"

She was really shaking. He stopped at the wall, gathering her tight in his arms and kissing her, feeling her warm lips and her heart beating very fast. His eyes were on Ryuk, who was dangling monkey-like from the ceiling, upside-down with both feet clinging to a beam. Not even Ryuk's rocking motion changed.

_Is it possible Ryuk realizes this is a mission meant to reveal any jealousy he might have? It doesn't matter. I'll get the truth one way or another._

Light felt Shiho relaxing into the kiss, so he broke it off and helped her steady herself on the wall.

Light said, "I'm sorry, I got a little carried away. I wanted to protect you quite badly when I saw you start to fall, and you're so beautiful, and now everyone's staring at us because I kissed you for so long."

Shiho started walking awkwardly along the wall and said, "No, it was great, Light. You're a wonderful kisser. They are staring because I almost landed flat on my face, and then you caught me before I could hurt myself, and they don't see girls get carried very often."

"Actually, I'm starting to get hungry. Why don't we go eat now?"

Shiho smiled at hearing that, and Light could tell she thought he was being gracious, catering to her need to no longer skate and thereby covering up any embarrassment she might feel. It was a polite thing to do, exactly the sort of thing women imagined in their ideal boyfriends.

Half an hour later, they were eating their food at a restaurant nice enough that all the waiters wore suits, the tables had pristine white tablecloths nearly to the floor, and the food arrived on replicas of 19th-century porcelain. It was romantic, with fresh flowers decorating every nook, and Shiho was stuffing herself and talking rapidly about her hobbies.

Light ate at his own food, occasionally interjecting some intellectual bit of knowledge about her hobbies that would make her face glow in appreciation, and letting her initiate the occasional touches of hands on top of the table and feet under the table.

After she finished eating, he waited until she'd mellowed enough that she had probably digested her food. She was glowing, bright-eyed, vivacious, and her need for something to happen was revealed by the way her hands couldn't stay the slightest bit still, constantly drumming on the table and frequently reaching out to trace along the contours of his hands, shyly, while she blushed and giggled.

It only took one call on his cellphone to get the next part of the plan into place. Making out in some alley would be too low-brow, and at this time of year not very feasible as a few snowflakes and a biting cold were on the wind. And taking Shiho to a hotel would either raise the alarm bells or create expectations that were too high. There was taking her back home, but Light didn't want her in his room. That was his place, his secret, it was where he ruled as Kira, and he didn't want that sacred area tainted with the energy of others.

No, there was only one good way to do it.

Shiho gasped when Light led her outside and showed her the limo, telling her it was theirs, rented for the next hour.

She was walking a bit unsteadily. Not drunk; she hadn't ordered any alcohol. It was probably just the effects of an overwhelming date combined with her legs becoming weak and shaken by the long skating session and the near-accident.

Light got in first and helped her in. Her eyes widened when she saw the wall separating the backseat from the driver.

Light said, "For privacy. We can talk about whatever we want to in this place. If you need to issue an order to the driver, just press this button here."

She nodded and got in, her eyes looking dreamy. Ryuk clung to the inside roof of the car, incorporeal, half in the back and half in the front. He made no comments but was grinning like a maniac.

Light took out his cellphone, turned it off, and slid it back into his pocket.

As the limo drove away, Light sat there beside her, prim and proper, waiting for her to break and start touching him.

* * *

**A/N (Author's Note):**

I realize this is the first update in just slightly less than a year, and I apologize for that. I honestly thought that this fic would go on hiatus for just a few months and that I would restart this fic in April 2010 or so, but it's now November 2010 with a huge wait for readers.

The main reason this ended up being such a long hiatus was because "Fifty Days" and "Fever Dreams", my two longest fics, have been taking about six months longer to finish than I thought they would. All through that time period, I kept expecting to finish both of them in just a few more weeks, and I kept being wrong about how many chapters were left and how long it would take to finish those chapters. Since those fics both had many loyal readers waiting desperately for the last few chapters, and updates on them had already slowed down too much, I did not feel like putting those fics on hiatus in order to finish this fic and my other neglected fics. I felt that I would have upset more people that way, so I continued to neglect this fic, until now.

In canon, Light is established as dating a number of girls other than Misa, however most of these have nothing to do with the storyline and the canon author likes to skip over things like that, so most of them are only mentioned in passing.

The manga has the following mentions:

Chapter 32, page 5: just after Misa leaves, Light mentions to Ryuk other girls he's been dating and kissing. Onemanga dot com translates their names as "Shiho, Emi and the others" but this might be a misspelling because onemanga misspells many of the names in Death Note.

Chapter 32, page 13: L thinks about how Light's dating habits have suddenly changed from dating a few girls to many. He thinks about a report he got from Mogi that mentioned Light dating four girls (since Light had kept the relationship with Misa secret at this point in the manga, that probably means three girls in addition to Misa and Takada).

Chapter 59, page 16: Misa mentions the other girls that Light had been dating (since he's been trapped in the investigation center for months, I assume these are names of girls he dated in college) as "Kyomi, Yuri and Mayu". Kiyomi is of course Takada, and Yuri is likely the same Yuri from the bus hijacking (the aborted date to Spaceland) but Mayu is a mystery girl who is canonically paired with Light in an entirely unseen way.

Of these at least six girlfriends, we only directly see Misa, Yuri and Kiyomi Takada. It is possible that the additional girls (Mayu, Shiho, Emi and probably at least one more unnamed one) are seen in other scenes where their identities aren't indicated. For example, they might be among the girls seen in backgrounds in classroom scenes with Light, and they also could be among the group of college friends that Light and Matsuda take to Aoyama as camouflage (in an attempt to find the second Kira). However, if any of these girls are meant to be Light's girlfriends, it is never made clear, so that's just a guess.


	6. The Game

**CHAPTER 6: The Game**

Light was incredibly cute with his little attempt to cause jealousy. Ryuk could barely keep himself from smiling and commenting on it, but it was more fun to let Light play his game. Light must have put a lot of thought and effort into it, so it would be cruel to crush it, to spoil Light's fun by admitting he knew exactly what was going on.

Ryuk only had a small bit of resentment for Shiho, and that was just because he'd have to spend a long time without any whispered conversations with Light.

The date was almost as boring as Light's classes, when Ryuk had to spend his time doing jumping jacks on the ceiling or looking at cellphone screens to see the gossip that students were texting back and forth to each other, or popping into nearby rooms to check if there were anything interesting going on (usually not, though sometimes Ryuk could find a television to watch, and once he'd seen a female student and a much older teacher copulating in a closet).

After the ice-skating and restaurant meal, at what seemed like the end of the date, Ryuk was surprised to see a limo show up. How could Light afford a limo? But, then, Light's family seemed to be pretty well-off financially and Light almost never bought anything, so he probably had plenty of money saved up. Knowing Light, this was probably just a small portion of his total savings.

Light climbed into the limo but didn't touch the girl. He simply sat there with a knowing little smirk on his face, the kind of smirk so subtle that you had to be familiar with Light's moods to detect it.

Ryuk didn't want to fly behind the car or cling to the outside of the roof. He had a feeling the real show was about to begin. He twisted himself into an odd position so that he could have his head and shoulders in the back part of the limo, thrust just through the dividing wall. His hands were hooked into the roof to steady his position, while his upper torso overlapped with the limo driver, his lower torso was slung across the front seat, and, after a sharp bend, his legs and feet were tangled up with the motor.

It only took a few points of corporality to anchor his position, in his claws and the tips of his boots, and the rest could remain incorporeal so there would be no danger of Shiho or the limo driver accidentally feeling his invisible self.

Light said nothing at first, until Ryuk began to get anxious. Where was the show? It took a little bit of concentration to remain stuck to a moving object with the right parts corporeal and the right parts incorporeal. It had better be worth the effort.

Finally (and Ryuk had to think this had been Light's plan all along), Shiho snuck out a hand and placed it on Light's knee, as if she were shy, as if she hadn't been playing footsie with him and making excuses to touch his hand throughout much of the date earlier.

Humans really were cute, the way they danced around the truth instead of outright saying what they wanted.

Light's smirk flickered almost into a real smile before disappearing altogether.

Shiho leaned her head onto his shoulder and said, "It's a cold night, isn't it? I can hardly believe it's almost New Year's. It seems as if autumn went by more quickly than ever before."

Light replied, "I know what you mean. We'll be college students soon. This date made me remember the good times, before there was this much studying, before cram school became so serious. Four guys in my cram classes dropped out after the results of the practice exams, and there's a rumor that they couldn't take the pressure and became complete recluses, became hikikomori."

Shiho said, "That's incredibly sad if it's true."

She snuggled closer to his side and her hand crept up his leg a little.

She said, "Do you mind, Light? I'm still cold from the blast of freezing air that hit us on the way out of the restaurant. It's stupid of me to wear a skirt this short in December, I know."

Light replied, "Do you want me to take off my jacket and spread it across your legs?"

Shiho smiled and said, "If it's not too much trouble."

Light grinned back at her as he shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her thighs, touching her lap in several places during the process, as if by accident, making her shiver.

Something in Light's face looked as if he were having second thoughts, as if his heart wasn't in it. It was a subtle expression, though, and Ryuk wasn't quite sure he'd interpreted it correctly. Perhaps it was just boredom.

In a dreamy voice, Shiho said, "I don't want this date to end, but there isn't really any place I want to go. You say the limo is rented for an hour?"

Light checked his watch and said, "Forty-eight minutes now."

_It's only been twelve minutes? What a boring show. Why can't humans just say 'Let's fuck' and get things started?_

"Light," Shiho said, "I can't take you home. My sisters are incredibly nosy."

"It's perfect right here," Light replied.

There were definite movements under Light's jacket. One of Light's hands had somehow crept under it, out of sight, and in response Shiho gasped and started to move her hand higher on Light's thigh, finger-walking over the material of his trousers.

And then they started murmuring sweet nothings to each other as their hands worked in each other's laps and Shiho started panting, her face bright pink, her eyes shining.

_If it gets any more sugary I'm going to puke from an overdose. _

Light had a smile on his face but otherwise his expression seemed bored. He didn't even get an erection until Shiho's wandering hand began to knead at his crotch.

Ryuk wondered if Shiho could see Light's expression as well as a shinigami could, or if it were hidden in the semi-darkness. The overheard lamp was not on, so the only illumination came indirectly from streetlights, a kind of pulsing rhythm as the limo continued past them. Light and his date were in the center, where the shadows were thickest.

_Perhaps Light doesn't manipulate his expression as much when he's unlikely to get caught, or maybe I just know him a lot better than this girl. I doubt everyone can read Light's face as well as me, since I've spent a few solid months following him around, seeing all his private moments._

With a whimper, Shiho suddenly pulled Light as if to get him on top of her. Light resisted or pretended to resist at first, but then he straddled her, kissing her forehead with slow kisses, mumbling, "I don't know if we should."

_Trying to make her beg, or drawing it out to see how I'll react? Well, I'm tired of watching the foreplay and I'd really like to tell him just what I think._

One of Shiho's hands fumbled at her purse, slipping inside and pulling out a condom.

Ryuk used that time to transform to his Light-based nearly-human shape, twisting forward at the same time, molding his body to Light's back. He wrapped his arms around Light, phasing his hands through the clothing to directly stroke Light's chest, belly, hips and thighs with teasing, gentle caresses.

Ryuk breathed in Light's ear, "You know, Light, we could have a threesome of the kind where we take turns with her. If you take Shiho to someplace nice and dark, she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between us, and she wouldn't be able to tell that I'm invisible."

Light stiffened.

Shiho said, "Light, what's wrong?"

Ryuk said, "Or, if you want, you could fuck her, while I give you a little something extra. I'll do whatever you want, in complete secrecy."

Ryuk reached right through Light's underwear and gave his balls a gentle squeeze. In response, they drew up more tightly to Light's body and Light's shoulders quivered in the slightest, a shiver Ryuk was mostly convinced had to be involuntary. The great Light Yagami was succumbing to his own impulses, the same as any human.

Light, the criminal who thought he was a god, who thought he was above it all. It really was the highest quality entertainment. Ryuk's boredom was quickly dissolving, and he had trouble believing he'd been quite so anxious during Light's build up to Shiho's seduction. It was worth enduring a pointless date and some slow foreplay to get to this point.

_He's so young and so human! He doesn't have the slightest idea of what would actually make me jealous, and his attempts are amusing._

Light said, "It's just that I'm thinking. I don't want you to call me up tomorrow and say it had all been a mistake, or for you to expect that I'll take time away from schoolwork for more dates. This is for your benefit that I'm thinking this through."

Shiho said, "Oh, Light! I don't want you to think that. I'm really having a lot of fun."

Her hands tangled in Light's hair, trying to pull his head down for a kiss on her straining lips. The condom package was being pressed into Light's hand.

Ryuk's mind was already racing, as part of the usual side effect of being in a body based on Light's form. Even while focusing on Light's perfect male body that was as exposed to Ryuk's hands as if it were naked, a realization had forced itself through the lust. The bus hijacking hadn't been only about getting Raye Penber's name.

There had been no need to risk dropping a piece of the death note to make that junkie hallucinate. Light could have simply written a random hallucination and it would have happened. Light had run enough tests to know how far the death note's power worked.

No, Light had been testing two things. Testing that touching the death note really did cause humans to see the shinigami attached to that death note, and testing to see whether the claim of being invulnerable to bullets were true. That second one was a test with built-in plausible deniability. Ryuk knew that if he'd been lying about whether he could be physically hurt, then any resulting injury would have seemed like a complete accident.

Light had wanted to test if it really were possible to kill a shinigami with bullets, while keeping himself in a position of perfect safety. Ryuk felt a jolt of pride at the thought of just how ambitious Light was, to already be trying to figure out how to kill a shinigami.

_Humans are so interesting!_

Ryuk reached carefully between Light's body and Shiho's body, avoiding her arcing movements up against Light, and began to teasingly jerk off Light, slowly and gently, probably not enough to allow him an orgasm but perfect for causing greater arousal.

Ryuk was rewarded with another almost-imperceptible shiver and a very tiny sound that escaped Light's lips, low and erotic. Light was suddenly trying to back up, to dismount, but Ryuk pressed hard into Light's back, forcing him down onto Shiho, just to see how he'd react.

Light said, "Ah!" and Ryuk could hear the frustration in it, the arrogant tone.

Ryuk knew that Light would take it out on him later. Light had no fear of chastising a shinigami. It was incredibly thrilling.

Light kissed Shiho on the lips a few times before grabbing her wrists and pulling her wandering hands away from his body, pinning them against the seat.

In a halting, hesitating tone, Light said, "Shiho, I think this is going too fast. I won't be able to be a steady boyfriend for you, and it's best not to make hormone-addled decisions like this."

Shiho said, "Light!"

Light made another attempt to dismount, and this time Ryuk let him, going incorporeal except for a few fingertips to hook into the roof and keep his place.

As Light settled back down into his seat, Ryuk received a withering glare that would certainly strike fear into the heart of any lesser creature than a shinigami. To Ryuk, it merely warmed him to see such defiance sparkling in Light's eyes.

Ryuk turned back to his normal form and grinned at Light, as Light and Shiho started an argument where Light continually kept the upper hand, putting Shiho in her place and flattering her while at the same time giving the impression that his wishes were better than hers, a superior way of dealing with the situation.

She wasn't really angry, and yet every method she used was turned back on her by Light, leaving her fumbling for words, apologizing and temporarily frustrated each time she brought up a new point, before he soothed her expertly. By the time he was done with her, she seemed to think they hadn't really disagreed at all.

Before Shiho was dropped off at her house, they kissed one last time and promised to date at some unspecified future time, when Light was ready to try again, and the last Ryuk saw of her she had a sappy smile plastered across her face.

Then Light pressed the button for communicating with the driver and gave directions to a bus station near his house.

There was something about the way Light's lips were pressed together, his eyes narrowed, his gaze commanding. Though Light had no erection, Ryuk was almost completely certain that Light was worked up sexually.

In almost a monotone, Light said, "Ryuk, your deal is still good, isn't it?"

"What? The eye deal? Don't tell me you've decided to play it easy from now on."

"No, I mean entertaining each other. As long as it doesn't affect the case, we'll do anything that relieves each other's boredom, won't we, Ryuk?"

"Of course. And, unlike your friends, I won't gossip around school."

"It's a perfect set up. If I didn't make use of these opportunities, it would be wasteful."

_Do humans always have to convince themselves they're doing the right thing? What would it be like, to live that way? Well, it doesn't work, since plenty of them do the wrong things anyway. I suppose it's just a habit that settles their minds, but it seems pointless._

Light pulled his cellphone out of his coat pocket and turned it on.

"There's a message from my father."

With a few flicks of the cellphone's buttons, it displayed on the screen:

_**There will be an important family meeting tonight. No need to cut your date short, but please don't be too late.**_

Light said, "Huh, I wonder what that's about? My father might be feeling the pressure of everything that has happened lately, and he feels obligated to share some decision with the rest of us. I'm sure he is being kept very busy, with all the FBI agents dying yesterday and my message to L finally complete."

"What did you send to L?"

A small smile flickered on Light's lips, and he said, "L, do you know, gods of death love apples?"

_If L ever gets close, this could restrict my supply of apples._

Ryuk said, "Are you sure that isn't too much information for L?"

"It wouldn't make any sense to him unless he becomes able to observe you, and if L can do that, then I've already lost. No, this is just to confuse L, to play with him. From his perspective, it will always be an absolutely meaningless message, but I'm sure he'll waste plenty of time on it, unaware of the real trap."

Light eyes were lit up with excitement, his voice charged with energy, his arm rising.

He clenched his raised hand into a fist and said, "Ryuk, this is the beginning of the end for L. I've left more than enough confusion on my trail with all those experiments I've been performing, more than enough to keep him from making any progress. Meanwhile, the distrust will grow. I wish I could see what all the NPA workers under L are saying. They can't trust him, when he spies on them and lets his other employees get killed by Kira, so they will uncover L's identity. Then I'll just hack those files from my father's computer. L will be dead before he has a chance of narrowing down his list of suspects. I almost wish it weren't so easy. It would be nice to play with L a little longer."

They exchanged a knowing glance. With anyone else, it would have been a glance of giddy camaraderie, but with Light, it was a subdued sense of shared purpose, or perhaps a sense of Light liking to have an audience. Light did everything in either a very big way or a very small way. That was why he was so special, so different from the masses of humanity. They could be interesting, but Light was an unusual specimen even among humans. He had a sense of the dramatic that really belonged on a stage. If he hadn't found his calling as Kira, perhaps he would have eventually found his place in life, hamming it up for plays or movies.

It was only a short while later that the limo dropped them off at the bus station.

Exiting the car, Light glanced in his usual mannerism to see that bystanders were at a proper distance and whispered, "Yes, we have just enough time. Ryuk, your normal form is one of the least sexually attractive things I've ever seen."

He quickly added, "No offense."

Ryuk replied, "None taken."

Light said, "Get rid of it."

Ryuk floated along behind Light, scanning the area in disbelief.

_It would be easier just to return to Light's bedroom, and it's only a short trip. Is this his fetish? To get fucked in public and somehow conceal it? Well, he does seem to like the thrill of risking that L might find him, so maybe public sex is his thing too._

"We're doing it here? But there are so many humans around, won't they see?"

Light continued moving and whispered, "It's simple. We'll just go into a stall in the bathroom. Since you're invisible and inaudible, we're not going to get caught."

Almost shivering from the sheer audacity of it all, Ryuk began transforming, swooping after Light as Light approached the door to the men's room.

_And to think, this guy had the balls to try to kill a shinigami. I've never imagined I would find such arrogance!_

Yes, Light wasn't like any other human that Ryuk had encountered. He simply had to keep watching, to see what Light would do next.

* * *

**A/N (Author's Note):**

I hope you forgive me for the long wait between chapters, but since I finally got to the point where I have only two ongoing fanfics (this one and "The Other Plan"), I think I'll be able to update this one more frequently from now on. Thanks for your patience!

I'm stopping here because I'm switching viewpoints again. The next chapter's sexytimes is in Light's viewpoint.

I also wanted to mention that I've found a really good fanfic with the Light and Ryuk pairing (though this one is RyukxLight instead of LightxRyuk, and it has Ryuk in his regular form, though Light semi-transforms in it). It is called "The Shinigami Wing Deal" by plannedbyReaperLight and is very plotty, humorous, gets updated a lot more often than mine, and gets right to the point instead of being all interior-monologue-y like mine. A much different style, and it suits that fic well.


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